 The main difference between Japanese Style and Western Style rooms is the flooring used for the rooms. A Japanese style room has tatami flooring, whereas a Western style room has either wooden floors, cushion floors, or carpet.
Lately, Western style apartments are very popular and are built with no Japanese style rooms. But there are a lot of merits in choosing Japanese style rooms.
For example, tatami-flooring is very versatile and can be adjusted to fit many situations. You can host a party, then lay out a futon and use the same room as a bedroom.
If you have a couch or chairs in your room it really limits your space and the amount of people you can invite over. Tatami rooms, on the other hand, have little furnishings, so you can fit a large group of people and sit easily on the tatami.
An additional benefit to tatami floors is that the straw weaving of the tatami contains a lot of air, which results in a pleasant spring effect under your feet. The tatami also serves as insulator, keeping the heat out in the summer and the cold out in the winter. |
